Dickinson Room Dickinson family, collector. Dickinson family artifacts: Guide.
Houghton Library, Harvard College Library
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Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138 USA
© 2007 The President and Fellows of Harvard College
Last update on 2011 April 11
Repository: Houghton Library, Harvard College Library, Harvard University
Location: Emily Dickinson Room
Creator: Dickinson family, collector.
Title: Dickinson family artifacts,
Date(s): circa 1785-1880.
Quantity: 66 items
Abstract: Furniture, jewelry, paintings, and other objects that belonged to the
Dickinson family of Amherst, Massachusetts. Some objects belonged to the poet Emily
Dickinson.
Descriptions prepared by Nan Wolverton, 2007.
Purchased from Alfred Leete Hampson with funds given
by Gilbert H. Montague, class of 1901, in happy memory of
Amy Angell Collier Montague; received: 1950 May.
Some objects were given to the Library after 1950; this is noted with the individual
item entries.
The Dickinson Room and many of these objects can be viewed by guided tour Fridays at
2:00 p.m.
Examination of objects in the Houghton Reading Room requires advance notice, and the
permission of the curator.
Images linked to this finding aid are intended for public access and educational use.
This material is owned and/or held by the Houghton Library, and is provided solely
for the purpose of teaching or individual research. Any other use, including
commercial reuse, mounting on other systems, or other forms of redistribution
requires the permission of the curator.
Dickinson Family Artifacts (Dickinson Room). Houghton Library, Harvard University.
These objects, most of which are on permanent display in the Dickinson Room at
Houghton Library, were included as part of the acquisition of the Dickinson papers
in 1950. At the time of the purchase, the artifacts were physically located at The
Evergreens, many displayed in "The Emily Room" created by
Martha Dickinson Bianchi to memorialize her aunt, the poet Emily Dickinson. Most of
these artifacts were originally located at the Dickinson Homestead
prior to its sale by Martha Dickinson Bianchi in
1916.
Organized into the following series:
- I. Ceramics
- A. Blue-and-white earthenware
- B. White porcelain
- II. Furniture
- III. Glass
- IV. Jewelry
- V. Paintings
- VI. Silver and silver plate
- VII.
Textiles
These artifacts were selected by Alfred and Mary Hampson in consultation with
Library staff. The intent was and is to have on public display those objects most
closely associated with Emily Dickinson, and to evoke a sense of the time and place
in which her poetry was created. The Dickinson Room, in which these artifacts are
displayed, does not recreate any particular room in the Homestead or The Evergreens,
although many of the objects were displayed at one time in "The Emily Room" at The
Evergreens. That room was created by Martha Dickinson Bianchi, the poet's niece, to
memorialize Emily Dickinson.
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Series: I. Ceramics
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A. Blue-and-white earthenware
Emily Norcross Dickinson, Emily Dickinson's mother,
owned this blue-and-white printed earthenware. She probably acquired it
in preparation for her marriage to Edward Dickinson in May 1828. It was
most likely within the "crate of crockery" discussed in a letter from
Edward to Emily Norcross (1828 March 8) regarding transportation of her
belongings from Monson, Massachusetts to Amherst. Dark blue printed
tableware graced the sideboard and table in the dining room at the
Homestead in Amherst.
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- Sauce tureen with cover; dark blue transfer-printed
earthenware, Shell Border Series with irregular center, maritime
subject; one of a pair. Attributed to Enoch Wood &
Sons, Burslem, Staffordshire, England;
circa 1825. English refined earthenware, cobalt pigment, lead glaze; height 15.2 cm., width 19.0 cm., depth 12.7 cm.
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- Sauce tureen with cover; dark blue transfer-printed
earthenware, Shell Border Series with irregular center, maritime
subject; one of a pair. Attributed to Enoch Wood &
Sons, Burslem, Staffordshire, England;
circa 1825. English refined earthenware, cobalt pigment, lead glaze; height 15.2 cm, width 19.0 cm., depth 12.7 cm.
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- Sauce boat; dark blue transfer-printed earthenware, Shell
Border Series with irregular center, maritime subject. Attributed to
Enoch Wood & Sons,
Burslem, Staffordshire, England;
circa 1825. English refined earthenware, cobalt pigment, lead glaze; height 11.4 cm., width 18.4 cm., depth 8.8 cm.
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B. White porcelain
Martha Dickinson Bianchi, Emily Dickinson's niece, listed in an early
20th- century inventory of her home "the gold and white tea set of Emily
Norcross Dickinson" (the poet's mother). The set was among the items she
displayed in "The Emily Room" at The Evergreens. The porcelain tea set
may have been among the items that Emily Norcross purchased in
preparation for her marriage to Edward Dickinson in May of 1828. It was
probably the family's best tea set.
- Teapot; white with gilt striping, floral gilding on spout,
pattern number "71" painted in red enamel on underside.
England, factory unknown; circa 1825. Bone china, gilding; height 15.2 cm., width 26.6 cm., depth 12.7 cm.
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- Sugar bowl with cover; white with gilt decoration, pattern
number "71" painted in red enamel on underside. England,
factory unknown; circa 1825.
Bone china, gilding; height 13.9 cm., width 15.2 cm., depth 10.1 cm.
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- Creamer; white with gilt decoration, pattern number "71"
painted in red enamel on underside. England,
factory unknown; circa 1825.
English bone china, gilding; height 11.4 cm., width 13.9 cm., depth 7.6 cm.
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- Tea cups and saucers (three); white with gilt decoration;
London shape; pattern number "71" painted in red enamel on
underside. England, factory unknown; circa
1825. English bone china, gilding; cups: height 5.7 cm., diameter 9.5 cm.; saucers: height
2.5 cm., diameter 15.2 cm.
Acquisition Information: One cup and saucer: *74Z-2. Bequest of Mrs.
Theodora Ward; received: 1974 October.
The "London shape," characteristic of those made in the early decades
of the nineteenth century, refers to the flaring sides with sharply
undercut bases on the cups and the steep sides and flat bases on the
saucers.
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- Coffee cups and saucers (two); white with gilt decoration;
London shape; pattern number "71" painted in red enamel on
underside. England, factory unknown; circa
1825. English bone china, gilding; cups: height 6.3 cm., diameter 7.6 cm.; saucers: height
2.5 cm., diameter 14.6 cm.
The "London shape," characteristic of those made in the early decades
of the nineteenth century, refers to the flaring sides with sharply
undercut bases on the cups and the steep sides and flat bases on the
saucers.
![[thumbnail: resource-1]](http://nrs.harvard.edu/urn-3:FHCL.HOUGH:1156241?height=150)
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- Plate; white porcelain with two gilt bands, one at outer
edge, and one at center. France, possibly
Limoge; circa 1860. Porcelain, gilding; height 2.5 cm., diameter 19.6 cm.
Acquisition Information: *74Z-2. Bequest of Mrs. Theodora Ward;
received: 1974 October.
French porcelain china decorated with gold bands, sometimes called
"wedding band china," was popular from about 1850 to 1880. This
plate is from a set that was owned by Emily Dickinson's brother,
Austin, and his wife Susan. Their daughter, Martha, recalled in her
unpublished autobiography that at the many elaborate supper parties
hosted by her mother, the dining room table was often covered with
the family's best gilt-edged plates.
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- Epergne or compote; reticulated bowl, pedestal base, bowl and
base held together with screw and wing nut. Maker unknown; circa
1840. Porcelain; height 21.5 cm., diameter 24.1 cm.
Martha Dickinson Bianchi, Emily Dickinson's niece, listed in an early
20th-century inventory of her home, "two white epergnes from the
Mansion," referring to the Homestead. The epergnes were among the
items Martha displayed in "The Emily Room" at The Evergreens.
Used for holding fruit, reticulated bowls were not only decorative
but also allowed air to circulate around fresh fruit or warm roasted
chestnuts.
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- Epergne or compote; pierced decoration, three "paw" feet;
factory mark "131" etched on underside. Maker unknown; circa
1840. Porcelain; height 12.7 cm., diameter 22.8 cm.
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Series: II. Furniture
- Desk and bookcase; three drawers below three shelves, glass doors
with latticework panes; fold-out writing shelf with three inkwell
compartments at upper right, writing surface covered in red baize and
supported by two pull-out slides; tapered, reeded legs; broken-scroll
pediment with brass ball finials; fan inlay, stringing, crossbanding,
oval patera at center of pediment. American, unknown maker; circa
1820. Mahogany and mahogany veneer; height 186.6 cm., width 96.5 cm., depth 48.2 cm.
This desk and bookcase came from the home of Emily Dickinson. The piece
has traditionally been associated with her father, Edward Dickinson,
although the somewhat diminutive scale of the pieces suggests that it
may have been made as a lady's desk and bookcase. Such pieces were often
displayed in parlors or libraries to demonstrate the education and
status of the owners.
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- Lamp; brass font and stem; fluted stem rests on a square marble
plinth; may originally have been a solar lamp, updated for use with
kerosene, and electrified in the 20th century; replaced pink, floral
globe; missing burner and clear glass chimney. Maker unknown, possibly
Starr, Fellows and Company, New York;
circa 1856. Brass, bronze, glass; height 40.0 cm. (without shade), height 59.6 cm. (with
shade), base width 13.9 cm., base depth 13.9 cm.
The awkward proportions of this lamp are due to the addition of a socket
when the lamp was electrified, making the lamp taller than it should be.
The original globe (which was broken when the lamp was moved to Harvard)
was likely cut and etched blown glass. A clear chimney would have helped
deliver smoke and fumes up through the shade. The lamp may have been
used in the parlor or hall of the Edward Dickinson home.
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Series: III. Glass
- Tumbler; diamond diaper taper, colorless, blown molded in 3-part
mold of geometric design: bands of vertical flutes above horizontal
rings and diamond diapering, horizontal ring above vertical flutes
around base; pontil mark. New England, probably
Boston and Sandwich Glass Company; circa
1825-1835. Colorless flint glass; height 14.6 cm., diameter 12.0 cm.
According to family history, this drinking vessel belonged to Emily
Dickinson's grandfather, Samuel Fowler Dickinson. Collectors sometimes
call tumblers of this size and shape "flip" (a beer and rum concoction)
glasses, though period records consistently use the term "tumbler" for
this type of drinking vessel regardless of capacity or intended use.
Tumblers were among the most common glass drinking vessels in early
America and were used for a variety of beverages including beer, cider,
and ale.
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- Sand glass; wooden frame with printed image of the "Burns
Monument" on the top, printed text "Made Of Wood Grown On The Banks Of
The Doon" on the base. Scotland; circa 1860.
Wood, glass, red sand; height 8.2 cm., diameter: 4.4 cm.
Acquisition Information: *80Z-1. Gift of Mary Hampson; received:
1980 June.
This souvenir sand glass may have been given to Emily Dickinson as a
gift. The text on the base indicates that the wood came from the banks
of the Doon River, near the Robert Burns Monument in Alloway, Scotland.
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Series: IV. Jewelry
- Timepiece with key in original box; gold-cased watch, floral
engraved and enameled dial, floral engraved watch key, leather box with
gold tooling. Switzerland, probably
Geneva; circa 1840.
Gold case, brass and steel mechanism, leather box; watch: diameter 4.4 cm., box: length 8.6 cm., width 6.3 cm.
This gold timepiece belonged to Edward Dickinson, Emily Dickinson's
father. The reverse of the leather box for the watch bears his signature
and the inscription "Amherst, Masstts." Dickinson may have worn the
watch on a long chain looped around his neck and draped over his chest
to serve as a watch holder. The watch might have been placed in a vest
pocket for added protection.
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- Jewelry box; red velvet in oval shape with satin lining, interior
has stamped maker's mark "A. Simon/Juwelier/Carlsbad," brass closure.
A. Simon, Jeweler, Carlsbad, Czech
Republic (formerly Bohemia); circa
1900. Pasteboard, velvet, satin, brass; length 10.5 cm., width 8 cm., height.3 cm.
This jewelry box was among the Dickinson family belongings. Emily
Dickinson's niece, Martha Dickinson Bianchi, or sister-in-law Susan
Gilbert Dickinson, may have purchased it during their European travels
in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.
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Series: VI. Silver and silver plate
- Candlesticks (pair); sterling, candle cup in form of Corinthian
capital; removable shaped bobeche with beaded edge; shaft of fluted
columns; stepped, square base with beaded edging; touchmark on base.
Gorham Company, Providence, Rhode
Island; sold by Shreve Crump & Low Co.,
Boston; circa 1870.
Sterling silver; height 16.5 cm., base width 8.6 cm, base depth 8.6 cm.
Emily Dickinson's niece, Martha Dickinson Bianchi, included these silver
candlesticks in an early 20th-century inventory of "The Emily Room" at
The Evergreens. The candlesticks were on display with other examples of
Dickinson family silver.
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- Teaspoons (two); fiddle-pattern handle with basket of flowers
embossed design; engraved "E.D." in script; unmarked. John J.
Low; Lows, Ball & Company,
Boston, Massachusetts; circa
1820-1846. Coin silver; length: 15.8 cm., bowl width 3.1 cm.
These teaspoons belonged to Emily Dickinson.
The spoons were stamped with a slightly narrower basket image for a
slightly narrower spoon handle and the imagery is less crisp than that
on the Emily Norcross Dickinson spoons. Such ornament was stamped onto
handles using steel dies. It is likely that Emily Dickinson's spoons
were given to her in the early 1840s to match the pattern of her
mother's spoons.
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